CHEYENNE, Wyo. – March 26, 2026 –  The Wyoming Arts Council hosted the annual Poetry Out Loud State Finals Competition on Monday, March 2, at The Lincoln in Cheyenne. Dovelynn Martinson, a senior from Buffalo High School, was named Wyoming’s 2026 Poetry Out Loud state champion and will represent Wyoming at the national finals in Washington, D.C., in April.

Daniela Garcia Madrid of Worland High School placed second in the competition, followed by Nyah Herrera of Cheyenne East High School in third place.

The state champion receives a $200 prize and a $500 stipend for their school to purchase poetry books. This year’s panel of judges included Wyoming poets Chad Hanson, David Romtvedt, Catherine Reeves, and Wyoming Poet Laureate Barbara Smith.

Poetry Out Loud encourages students to learn about poetry through memorization and recitation. Developed by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, the program is a free national contest for students in grades 9–12 attending public, private, or home schools. Schools and local community organizations host their own competitions, with winners advancing to the state contests before competing at the national finals.

In addition to the Poetry Out Loud competition, the fourth annual Poetry Ourselves Competition was held Sunday, March 1, at the Laramie County Library in Cheyenne. Poetry Ourselves provides a platform for students to write and recite their own original poetry.

Winners of the 2026 Poetry Ourselves Original Written Word category were:

• First place – Aubrey Lemon (Buffalo High School), “The Park Bench: Keeper of Stories”
• Second place – Nyah Herrera (Cheyenne East High School), “There is a Forest”
• Third place – Zoey Mellor (Cheyenne East High School), “Foampools”
• Winners of the 2026 Poetry Ourselves Spoken Word category were:

Tie for first place – Josalyn Anderson (Moorcroft Secondary School), “The End of a Mourning,” and Kaylee Ann Caturia (Buffalo High School), “The Definition of Time”

• Second place – Daylynn Schutt (Moorcroft High School), “The Flower of Society”
• For more information, contact Ismael Dominguez, programs specialist with the Wyoming Arts Council, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit wyomingartscouncil.org.

Figure 1: Dovelynn Martinson of Buffalo High School, Wyoming’s 2026 Poetry Out Loud state champion.

Contact: Ismael Dominguez, (307) 275-4476; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.